diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date/browse-by-date.component.spec.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date/browse-by-date.component.spec.ts
index fad573705c5..80e826f7fd6 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date/browse-by-date.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date/browse-by-date.component.spec.ts
@@ -95,8 +95,8 @@ describe('BrowseByDateComponent', () => {
     findById: () => createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(mockCommunity),
   };
 
-  const activatedRouteStub = Object.assign(new ActivatedRouteStub(), {
-    params: observableOf({}),
+  const activatedRouteStub = Object.assign(new ActivatedRouteStub({ id: 'dateissued' }), {
+    params: observableOf({ id: 'dateissued' }),
     queryParams: observableOf({}),
     data: observableOf({ metadata: 'dateissued', metadataField: 'dc.date.issued' }),
   });
@@ -151,9 +151,8 @@ describe('BrowseByDateComponent', () => {
     fixture = TestBed.createComponent(BrowseByDateComponent);
     const browseService = fixture.debugElement.injector.get(BrowseService);
     spyOn(browseService, 'getFirstItemFor')
-      // ok to expect the default browse as first param since we just need the mock items obtained via sort direction.
-      .withArgs('author', undefined, SortDirection.ASC).and.returnValue(createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(firstItem))
-      .withArgs('author', undefined, SortDirection.DESC).and.returnValue(createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(lastItem));
+      .withArgs('dateissued', undefined, SortDirection.ASC).and.returnValue(createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(firstItem))
+      .withArgs('dateissued', undefined, SortDirection.DESC).and.returnValue(createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(lastItem));
     comp = fixture.componentInstance;
     route = (comp as any).route;
     fixture.detectChanges();
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date/browse-by-date.component.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date/browse-by-date.component.ts
index 1ebdcc838ea..c0147132e3f 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date/browse-by-date.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date/browse-by-date.component.ts
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ export class BrowseByDateComponent extends BrowseByMetadataComponent implements
         this.currentSort$,
       ]).subscribe(([params, scope, currentPage, currentSort]: [Params, string, PaginationComponentOptions, SortOptions]) => {
         const metadataKeys = params.browseDefinition ? params.browseDefinition.metadataKeys : this.defaultMetadataKeys;
-        this.browseId = params.id || this.defaultBrowseId;
+        this.browseId = params.id;
         this.startsWith = +params.startsWith || params.startsWith;
         const searchOptions = browseParamsToOptions(params, scope, currentPage, currentSort, this.browseId, this.fetchThumbnails);
         this.updatePageWithItems(searchOptions, this.value, undefined);
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata/browse-by-metadata.component.spec.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata/browse-by-metadata.component.spec.ts
index 623f1af8aaf..78d45123df5 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata/browse-by-metadata.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata/browse-by-metadata.component.spec.ts
@@ -123,8 +123,8 @@ describe('BrowseByMetadataComponent', () => {
     findById: () => createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(mockCommunity),
   };
 
-  const activatedRouteStub = Object.assign(new ActivatedRouteStub(), {
-    params: observableOf({}),
+  const activatedRouteStub = Object.assign(new ActivatedRouteStub({ id: 'author' }), {
+    params: observableOf({ id: 'author' }),
   });
 
   paginationService = new PaginationServiceStub();
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata/browse-by-metadata.component.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata/browse-by-metadata.component.ts
index 4cb07abd879..4fc7f3ca3ba 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata/browse-by-metadata.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata/browse-by-metadata.component.ts
@@ -141,15 +141,10 @@ export class BrowseByMetadataComponent implements OnInit, OnChanges, OnDestroy {
    */
   subs: Subscription[] = [];
 
-  /**
-   * The default browse id to resort to when none is provided
-   */
-  defaultBrowseId = 'author';
-
   /**
    * The current browse id
    */
-  browseId = this.defaultBrowseId;
+  browseId: string;
 
   /**
    * The type of StartsWith options to render
@@ -235,7 +230,7 @@ export class BrowseByMetadataComponent implements OnInit, OnChanges, OnDestroy {
         this.currentPagination$,
         this.currentSort$,
       ]).subscribe(([params, scope, currentPage, currentSort]: [Params, string, PaginationComponentOptions, SortOptions]) => {
-        this.browseId = params.id || this.defaultBrowseId;
+        this.browseId = params.id;
         this.authority = params.authority;
 
         if (typeof params.value === 'string') {
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title/browse-by-title.component.spec.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title/browse-by-title.component.spec.ts
index 1b6d96d3f86..ce5c409db2c 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title/browse-by-title.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title/browse-by-title.component.spec.ts
@@ -82,8 +82,8 @@ describe('BrowseByTitleComponent', () => {
     findById: () => createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(mockCommunity),
   };
 
-  const activatedRouteStub = Object.assign(new ActivatedRouteStub(), {
-    params: observableOf({}),
+  const activatedRouteStub = Object.assign(new ActivatedRouteStub({ id: 'title' }), {
+    params: observableOf({ id: 'title' }),
     queryParams: observableOf({}),
     data: observableOf({ metadata: 'title' }),
   });
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title/browse-by-title.component.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title/browse-by-title.component.ts
index 7d6e3ce716e..f4c30a842b4 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title/browse-by-title.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title/browse-by-title.component.ts
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ export class BrowseByTitleComponent extends BrowseByMetadataComponent implements
         this.currentSort$,
       ]).subscribe(([params, scope, currentPage, currentSort]: [Params, string, PaginationComponentOptions, SortOptions]) => {
         this.startsWith = +params.startsWith || params.startsWith;
-        this.browseId = params.id || this.defaultBrowseId;
+        this.browseId = params.id;
         this.updatePageWithItems(browseParamsToOptions(params, scope, currentPage, currentSort, this.browseId, this.fetchThumbnails), undefined, undefined);
       }));
     this.updateStartsWithTextOptions();